Community Media Awards
AWARDS
Public Narrative’s guiding star, Studs Terkel, helped choose the award recipients for years and gracefully led the annual ceremony. Today, the Studs Terkel Award honorees are selected by a committee of past Terkel Award winners. Our awards ceremony now also includes the Dr. Timuel D. Black, Jr. Award for Civic Engagement Award, the People's Choice Award, Emerging & Established Journalist/Media Award, the Ripple Effect Award, and the Uplifting Voices Award.
Nominations for all 2026 awards are now open.
2026 Community Media Awards Nominations Are NOW OPEN!
Nominations are NOW OPEN and close Friday, February 27, 2026!
Know a journalist or media professional who's making waves? A community leader amplifying important stories? Nominate them now! Let's celebrate the voices that anchor our democracy. Please spread the word and nominate today!
Google sign-in may be required to complete the forms. This can be completed with any email address type, and is needed when uploading image or document files.
Save the date: Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
2026 Community Media Awards
The Community Media Awards celebrate storytelling in the Studs Terkel tradition.
It’s crucial that the essential work of journalism continues now more than ever. The 31st Annual Community Media Awards will take place Thursday, May 14, 2026 at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Help us highlight the incredible journalists, individuals and civic organizations who continue to make a difference by keeping us informed and connected.
Celebrate with us by honoring those making a difference.
More About the Award Categories:
Our historic 31st Annual Studs Terkel Award (Chicago-area journalist). Make your nomination
Dr. Timuel D. Black, Jr. Award for Civic Engagement (Individuals and Organizations). Make your nomination
People's Choice Award (Individuals and organizations). Make your nomination
Emerging & Established Journalist/Media. Make your nomination
Ripple Effect Award (Journalist/Media). Make your nomination
Uplifting Voices Award (Chicago-area artist, activist, writer, musician, educator, journalist, or community leader). Make your nomination
Stewards of the Chicago Independent Media Alliance
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About the Awards
Studs Terkel Award
Public Narrative’s guiding star, Studs Terkel, helped choose the award recipients for years and gracefully led the annual ceremony. Today, the Studs Terkel Award honorees are selected by a committee of past Terkel Award winners.
Uplifting Voices Award
The winners of this recognition elevate the voices of people in communities. They use their platforms, influence, or access to advance Chicago communities that are under-resourced and under-heard.
Ripple Effect Award
This prize recognizes quality journalism that has enlightened and inspired people in Chicago and/or across the country — journalists whose investigative work changed policies or whose engaging, well-researched stories shifted the public narrative around an issue.
People’s Choice, Emerging & Established
The People’s Choice Awards is returning for its third year. This award celebrates media creators of all ages who have reshaped harmful narratives in their communities. The general public can nominate journalists, storytellers, and media makers, and the titles of People’s Choice in both the Emerging and Established categories will be awarded to those with the most nominations. Let’s continue to elevate and celebrate the transformative power of storytelling in our communities.
The Dr. Timuel D. Black, Jr. Award for Civic Engagement
This award, launched in 2025, honors Dr. Black’s remarkable legacy and reflects his and Studs Terkel’s shared values: a commitment to elevating community narratives, engaging in active citizenship, and building a more just and fair society. By recognizing individuals and organizations that embody these ideals, the award reminds us of the transformative power of civic engagement and the stories that connect us all.